The bottom line is clear: Our vital interests in Afghanistan are limited and military victory is not the key to achieving them. On the contrary, waging a lengthy counterinsurgency war in Afghanistan may well do more to aid Taliban recruiting than to dismantle the group, help spread conflict further into Pakistan, unify radical groups that might otherwise be quarreling amongst themselves, threaten the long-term health of the U.S. economy, and prevent the U.S. government from turning its full attention to other pressing problems. -- Afghanistan Study Group

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

The Denmark DM is reporting the death of a Danish ISAF soldier from an IED attack south of patrol base Bridzar about six kilometers northeast of Geresk, Helmand province, Afghanistan on Wednesday, September 22nd. One additional soldier was wounded in the blast. Here's the ISAF release.

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an IED attack in an undisclosed location in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday, September 21st.

Baghdad:#1: Four policemen were wounded on Wednesday when a roadside bomb went off in the east of the Iraqi capital. “The bomb went off today in Beirut Square, eastern Baghdad, targeting a police patrol,” a local police source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#2: A roadside bomb went off near a police patrol, wounding three civilians and one policeman, on a highway near Baghdad's southern Doura district, an interior ministry source said.

#3: A roadside bomb exploded near a group of street cleaners, wounding four, in the Bab al-Sharji area of central Baghdad, an interior ministry source said.

Diyala Prv:#1: Three civilians were wounded on Tuesday by an improvised explosive device in north of Baaquba, a police source said. “The bomb exploded near a civilian car in Hamrien region in al-Saadiya district, north of Baaquba, injuring three civilians onboard,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

Hilla:#1: One civilian was killed and 56 injured Wednesday when explosive devices went off in a residential area south of Baghdad, police sources said. The devices had been stored along with rockets inside a house in the city of Hilla, some 100 kilometres south of Baghdad. Their explosion burned down one house and damaged some seven others, sources told the German Press Agency dpa.

Hamza:#1: At least three people were killed and 40 injured Tuesday when three roadside bombs exploded in quick succession in an outdoor market in the town of Hamza, about 62 miles (100 kilometers) south of Baghdad, police officials said. The attacks happened about 8:30 p.m., they said, declining to provide details.

Amarra:#1: An Iraqi army force defused on Wednesday a bobby-trapped motorcycle that was ready for detonation in a crowded area south of Amara city. “The bobby-trapped motorcycle was ready for detonation in a crowded in Qalaat Salih district, 45 km south of Amara,” a local security source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

Nassiriya:#1: Seven people were wounded and a U.S. vehicle and three civilian cars were damaged when a bomb exploded in central Nassiriya on Tuesday, according to a security source. “Anti-Shields bomb went off Tuesday (Sept. 21) targeting a U.S. convoy in central Nassiriya, injuring seven persons, including three women and a child,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “The blast damaged a U.S. vehicle and three civilian cars,” he added.

Kirkuk:#1: A roadside bomb went off near a military vehicle carrying Iraqi soldiers, killing two soldiers and wounded one, in central Kirkuk, 250 km (155 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.

Mosul:#1: One policeman was wounded on Tuesday in two separate blasts in southern and western Baghdad. “A roadside bomb went off today targeting a police patrol in the al-Daura neighborhood, southern Baghdad, wounding one policeman,” a local security source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#2: “A sticky bomb attached to a civil servant’s car, who works for the Baghdad Provincial Council, went off today in the al-Amiriya neighborhood, western Baghdad, causing no casualties or injuries,” the source added.

#3: Iraqi army forces seized 123 roadside bombs southeast of the Mosul city, an army source said on Wednesday. “The bombs were found in the al-Namroud district, southeast of Mosul,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. He explained that the bombs were seized during a raid operation within the area relying on intelligence tip off.

#4: “A car bomb went off today in the Hamam al-Aleel district, 30 km south of Mosul, leaving no casualties,” a local police source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#6: Attackers detonated three roadside bombs in quick succession and then fired shots at a police patrol, killing three policemen and wounding 14 people, including 13 policemen and a civilian, in western Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, a source in the local police operations centre said.

Tal Afar:#1: Police forces found on Tuesday morning (Sept. 21) a bullet-riddled female body in western Talafar,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “The body belongs to a 22-year-old young woman,” he added, noting that the body was sent to the forensic medicine department in Mosul.

#3: One gunman was wounded when a roadside bomb he was attempting to plant went off in Talafar suburb, northwest of Mosul city. “The incident took place yesterday night in the al-Uroba neighborhood, 60 km northwest of Mosul,” a local police source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency on Wednesday.

Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"#1: Afghan and NATO-led troops eliminated 27 Taliban militants in Khost province east of Afghanistan, an Afghan military officer in the province Mohammad Irsar said Wednesday. "The joint operation conducted in Mirsamar village of Spirai district late Tuesday night which left 27 rebels dead," Israr told Xinhua. Air power had also been used during the operation, he further said.

#2: update: Five workers of a construction company, including two Pakistani engineers, were killed and three others sustained injuries in a roadside landmine explosion in Pawran province of Afghanistan on Tuesday. The Ministry of Interior in a press statement said the blast occurred in Namak Aab area in Shinwari district when the vehicle of a construction company hit the landmine. The blast left five workers of the company dead and three others injured. The police rushed the injured to a nearby hospital, the statement added. Owner of the company, Haji Naveed, confirmed the incident and told media the vehicle was hit by explosion when the staff members were on their way to their area to inspect the ongoing projects. He said the dead included two Pakistani engineers, two guards and a driver.

#3: Pakistani security forces have killed at least 42 militants and destroyed their hideouts during a search operation in the outskirts of Peshawar city of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. Officials told Press TV that three policemen were also killed and five soldiers injured when the security forces and police carried out the joint operation in the semi-tribal areas of Pistanwa, Hasankhel and Bora near the Afghan border. Security forces have also destroyed many hideouts of the militants, including the home of local commander Qari Ayub, according to a Press TV report. On Wednesday, a militant attack left 40 tribesmen killed and several others injured in northwest Pakistan.

#4: Taliban Insurgents launched rocket attacks on Herat city, the provincial capital of the western Herat province said on Tuesday night. The spokesman to the governor of Herat, Naqibullah Arween, and the province's deputy commander of police, Delawar Shah Delawar, confirmed the news adding that the attacks were carried out around 08:00pm last night, which had no casualties. "The rockets were aimed at the Italian Provincial Reconstruction Team's office, but the rockets hit residential areas, only smashing windows," said Delawar Shah Delawar.#5: At least three troops were killed Wednesday when a roadside blast struck a military vehicle in Bara area of Khyber, one of the seven tribal agencies in Pakistan's restive northwest bordering Afghanistan, local sources said.

#6: Six Taliban militants were killed as NATO-led forces aircraft raided their hideout in southern Kandahar province on Tuesday, a statement of alliance released here Wednesday said. "A joint Afghan National Army and International Security Assistance Force patrol conducted a precision air strike in southern Afghanistan Tuesday, killing six insurgents who had fired mortars on their position during dismounted operations," the statement added. The precision air strike was conducted in the western Arghandab valley on the outskirts of Kandahar City, the capital of Taliban birthplace Kandahar province, it stressed.